{"id":1254,"date":"2010-08-18T23:40:17","date_gmt":"2010-08-18T23:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=1254"},"modified":"2014-07-17T13:31:09","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T13:31:09","slug":"false-friends-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/false-friends-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00ab\u041d\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043e\u044f\u0449\u0438\u0435 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0437\u044c\u044f\u00bb [False friends]: part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Not everything in a foreign language is difficult. If you feel like calling the vehicle above \u00ab<\/strong><\/em>\u043c\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0446\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u043b\u00bb<\/em><\/strong> [motorcycle] in Russian, then that\u2019s okay and even correct. But that doesn\u2019t mean you can go ahead and assume that a bicycle is \u00ab<\/strong><\/em>\u0431\u0438\u0446\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u043b\u00bb<\/em><\/strong> in Russian because really the word for it is \u00ab<\/strong><\/em>\u0432\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0438\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/em><\/strong> [bicycle].<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s post is meant to follow up \u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043e\u044f<\/span>\u0449\u0438\u0435 <\/strong>\u0434\u0440\u0443\u0437\u044c\u044f<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [False friends]: part I<\/a>, which was posted here on our blog on the 5th of August, but it really doesn\u2019t matter if you’ve read that one or not \u2013 we\u2019re simply glad to have your attention today! I think the most challenging thing about moving to a new country is getting used to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0440\u0448\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0435\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [completely new food]. A few days ago \u00ab<\/strong>\u044f <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0435<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u043b\u0430 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u0434 <\/strong>\u0411\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u043b\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [I arrived in the city of Berkeley] which for me is not only located in a completely new country \u2013 \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0428\u0410 (<\/strong>\u0421\u043e\u0435\u0434\u0438\u043d\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0448\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044b <\/strong>\u0410\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0438)\u00bb<\/strong> [USA (United States of America)<\/em>] \u2013 but also in a place where the climate is nothing like any of the places where I\u2019ve lived before: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0442\u0430\u0442 <\/strong>\u041a\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [the state of California]. Probably everyone who has come to Russia for the very first time \u2013 to work, study or simply live for a little while \u2013 has felt the way I am feeling right now walking down aisle after aisle \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u0437\u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u043c\u0438 <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u043a\u0442\u0430\u043c\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [with unfamiliar groceries]: lost, confused and not sure what things taste like. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412 <\/strong>\u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0438 <\/strong>\u044f <\/strong>\u0437\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430, <\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0432\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [in Russia I knew what was tasty], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0421\u0428\u0410, <\/strong>\u044f <\/strong>\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0437\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u044e <\/strong>\u0432\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0430 <\/strong>\u0431\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [in USA I don\u2019t even know the taste of the majority of groceries]! That is why I cannot stress enough the importance of getting the names of different food items right in any foreign language \u2013 but most of all in Russian for \u00ab<\/strong>\u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u044f <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0439 <\/strong>\u0435\u0434\u044b<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [Russia is full of tasty food] that you don\u2019t want to be missing out on. If you mix it up, then you might end up with something entirely different from what you thought or wanted. Sometimes food names are indeed \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043e\u044f<\/span>\u0449\u0438\u0435 <\/strong>\u0434\u0440\u0443\u0437\u044c\u044f<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [false friends], for they will remind you of something else in another language but really that’s not at all what it means in Russian. For example, the seemingly harmless little word \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0435\u043a\u0441<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong>. It sounds an awful lot like \u2018cake\u2019 <\/em>\u2013 or even \u2018cakes\u2019<\/em> \u2013 doesn\u2019t it? That\u2019s not what it means, though. If you go to a \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0435\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043d\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [bakery] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [pastry shop; confectionary] and ask for \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0435\u043a\u0441\u00bb<\/strong> you’ll receive something resembling a fruitcake<\/a>, more often than not square-shaped and kind of small. If you\u2019re picking up desert for someone\u2019s birthday, what you want to buy is actually a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [cake].<\/p>\n

The same situation could arise if you\u2019re in need or simply want of biscuits \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a <\/strong>\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u044e <\/strong>\u0438<\/span><\/strong>\u043b\u0438 <\/strong>\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0444\u0435\u00bb <\/strong>[to go with (your)<\/em> tea or coffee] \u2013 nobody likes \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0438\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0437 <\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u0438\u00bb <\/strong>[to drink without snacks] \u2013 and you ask for \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0438\u0441\u043a\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> [sponge-cake<\/a>] because that seems like a likely Russian name for it. What you should ask for is actually \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0435\u0447\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0435\u00bb<\/strong>, if you want sweet biscuits or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0443\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [m.<\/em> rusk], if you want not-so-sweet biscuits.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t always expect Russians to be the best experts at their own language. Even a native speaker can sometimes be tricked by a \u2018faux ami\u2019<\/a><\/em>. For example, when I began teaching \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u044f\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [Swedish language] \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0423\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0441\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u043c <\/strong>\u0443\u043d\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0440\u0441\u0438\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [at Ural State University] some three years ago (I can\u2019t believe it has been so long!)<\/em> I was not given any fancy academic title. I was identified on official documents simply as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442\u00bb<\/strong>, something that more than once caused trouble with other staff at the university for they thought this meant the same as the English word \u2018assistant\u2019<\/em>. They were always asking \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043b\u044f <\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span>?\u00bb<\/strong> [for whom?] I was assistant and it wasn’t until \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d <\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/span> <\/strong>\u0444\u0430\u043a\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [the dean of my department] explained to them that \u00ab<\/strong>\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> in Russian is the academic position of junior teacher (in higher educational institution)<\/em> that they accepted me not assisting anyone else but teaching all on my own. The most commonly used Russian word for \u2018assistant\u2019<\/em> is \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0449\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But it is fun to make mistakes! \u00ab<\/strong>\u0418 <\/strong>\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [And important, too]. Back when I was in school, some boring old \u00ab<\/strong>\u0443\u0447\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u0446\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [fem.<\/em> school teachers] would often say things like: \u201cSave time and learn from other people\u2019s mistakes\u201d, but who does that? Really? You\u2019ll learn something twice \u2013 or even more! \u2013 as well from having done it \u2018the hard way\u2019, at least that\u2019s \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0451<\/span> <\/strong>\u0441\u0443\u0433\u0443<\/span>\u0431\u043e <\/strong>\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u043c\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [my own highly personal opinion]. There are some mistakes you won\u2019t make, though, once you\u2019ve been to Russia: like you won\u2019t think \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> means \u2018magazine\u2019<\/em> because that\u2019s written on big signs in front of most grocery stores in Russia. It might be helpful, however, to know that the Russian word for \u2018magazine\u2019<\/em> is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0436\u0443\u0440\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The same should probably also go for the noun \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u043a\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [broad street, avenue; outline; advertisements]. If you\u2019ve been to Russia and got lost on countless \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u043a\u0442\u044b <\/strong>\u041b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430\u00bb <\/strong>[Lenin\u2019s avenues]<\/a>, then you\u2019re less likely to say that your business has \u00ab<\/strong>\u0445\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u043a\u0442\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> when you mean \u2018good prospects\u2019<\/em>. You\u2019ll know the correct word to use in this context is \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0441\u043f\u0435\u043a\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [perspective; vista, view; prospect].<\/p>\n

Here are a few more common \u2018false friends\u2019<\/em> between English and Russian languages:<\/p>\n

You want to say \u2018blank\u2019<\/em> in English and so you say \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u043b\u0430\u043d\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [form; blank] with a thick Russian accent (think any Russian bad guy in a Bond movie<\/a>)<\/em>. What you should have said \u2013 and skip faking the accent, please \u2013 is either \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0443\u0441\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [blank; gap] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0431\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [blank space; blank].<\/p>\n

Hospital in Russian isn\u2019t \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0441\u043f\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [mas. (military)<\/em> hospital] \u2013 it is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0446\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [hospital].<\/p>\n

There\u2019s quite a difference in length of time between saying \u2018decade\u2019 <\/em>like \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [ten days, ten-day period] and actually calling it correctly a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044f\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [decade].<\/p>\n

You think \u2018receipt\u2019<\/em> is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u0435\u0446\u0435<\/span>\u043f\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [prescription] in Russian? No, that is something only a doctor can give you. Most sales people can, however, give you a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u0430\u0441\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [(written) <\/em>receipt] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0432\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0446\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [receipt; sales slip; claim check].<\/p>\n

Are you good at translation? Then you should know by now that you\u2019re not conducting \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0441\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0446\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [transmission; broadcast], but as a matter of fact \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [translation] between your two favorite languages: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0430\u043d\u0433\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0439\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u044f\u0437\u044b\u043a\u0438<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [English and Russian languages].<\/p>\n

Have you been fooled by the Russian word for \u2018minute\u2019<\/em> – \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0438\u043d\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u0430\u00bb –<\/strong> into thinking that anything can be turned into a Russian word if you place an \u00ab-<\/strong>\u0430\u00bb <\/strong>on the end of it?I\u2019m sorry to have to break the news that this doesn\u2019t work on the word \u2018fabric\u2019<\/em> for \u00ab<\/strong>\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> means \u2018factory\u2019<\/em>. Fabric in Russian is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u043a\u0430\u043d\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> (fem.<\/em>).<\/p>\n

If you want to make sure you don\u2019t mix up those two words, you can always call a factory \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [factory] instead. And incidentally \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> is one of my all-time favorite Russian nouns! There really aren\u2019t any words like it in other languages\u2026 and it was the one word I practiced on for months when I learned how to pronounce the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u00bb<\/strong> [z] sound.<\/p>\n

Have you ever confused any of the words above? Have you ever made a mistake with one or perhaps two of them? Or maybe you\u2019d like to make a comment about confusing names for Russian food products?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Not everything in a foreign language is difficult. If you feel like calling the vehicle above \u00ab\u043c\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0446\u0438\u043a\u043b\u00bb [motorcycle] in Russian, then that\u2019s okay and even correct. But that doesn\u2019t mean you can go ahead and assume that a bicycle is \u00ab\u0431\u0438\u0446\u0438\u043a\u043b\u00bb in Russian because really the word for it is \u00ab\u0432\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0438\u043f\u0435\u0434\u00bb [bicycle]. Today\u2019s post is…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8,7828,7827],"tags":[10782,264,267,1237,1248,10786,10785,10787,10783,10503,1674,1696,10784],"class_list":["post-1254","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","category-russian-for-beginners","category-russian-life","tag-confusing-russian-language","tag-false-friends","tag-faux-amis","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-language","tag-10786","tag-10785","tag-10787","tag-10783","tag-10503","tag-1674","tag-1696","tag-10784"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1254"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6196,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions\/6196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}